Personal watercraft have become increasingly popular in recent years. At the same time, the risk of dangerous accidents involving such watercraft has likewise increased. Personal watercraft (PWC) are notoriously difficult to brake and control. In most cases, control or steering is achieved by the jet nozzle which expels pressurized water to propel the PWC. Operator controls allow the user to direct the jet nozzle as needed to accomplish desired turning or steering.
Currently, no satisfactory means are provided for braking the PWC. Auxiliary braking mechanisms are rarely, if ever, utilized. Instead, the throttle must be operated to reduce propulsion so that the PWC will gradually slow. This technique is far from satisfactory. For one thing, when the PWC is operating at a high speed, it can take too long for the vessel to slow to a stop. When the PWC is operating at a speed of 60 mph, for example, it can take up to 300 feet to achieve a complete stop. This obviously subjects the PWC and its rider(s) to the risk of a deadly collision with objects in the water that are too close to avoid. This problem is complicated because most personal watercraft are able to properly steer only when operated under full throttle. When the speed is reduced for braking, control is similarly reduced.
Prior attempts to achieve improved PWC braking have been generally unsuccessful. Reversing operation of the jet nozzle puts enormous and potentially damaging strain upon the nozzle. Fritchle, U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,634 discusses the problems associated with conventional PWC braking systems in considerable detail. That reference discloses a hand-operated mechanism for both controlling and braking operation of the PWC. A pair of braking paddles are mounted about the jet nozzle, which has no capability for directional adjustment. The paddles perform all of the steering, as well as the braking for the PWC. This ignores the fact that most personal watercraft employ a directionally adjustable nozzle and do not require such paddles for steering.